Hay-press



Patented Aug. 16, 1892.

(No Model.)

H. COPBLAND.

HAY PRESS.

wwwa/om @IM- WWW. C@ f UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

HENRY COPELAND, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

HAY-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent No. 480,917, dated August16, 1892.

Application filed February 25, 1892. Serial No. 422,816. (No model.)

vTo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY COPELAND, of Chattanooga, Hamilton county,State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHay-Presses and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, by letters of referencemarked thereon.

My invention is an im provementin rebounding-plunger hay-presses; andits objects are to improve the mechanism lfor actuating the plunger sothat a gradually-increasing pressure is first exerted by the plungerupon the material being compressed, and then a positive and morepowerful pressure; to inter- Inittently operate the reciprocatingplunger from a continuously and steadily-revolving cam or catch-block sothat there will be time to ill the press-box with material in front ofthe plunger Without stopping or retarding the motive power; to increasethe durability of parts by actuating the plunger by a pulled pitmaninstead of by a pushed piston, and finally to improve the constructionof the baling-box.

Theinvention therefore consists in the novel construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter fully described, and concisely statedin the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of thebaling-box and mechanism for operating the plunger, the pitman and basebeing transversely. broken. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectionthrough the baling-box and plunger-actuating mechanism. Fig. 3 is adetail View of the plunger-actuating mechanism, showing the cam groove;and Figs. 4 and 5 aredetail side and sectional views of the pitman.

The baling-box Ais of general ordinary construction, having verticalsides braced by uprights which may be connected by transverse boltsabove and below the plunger and baling-chamber. This box is mounted upona solid base and its bottom is elevated to allow the pitman, hereinafterdescribed, to work thereunder. The box has a central feed opening orhopper B in its top, and at its inner end the usual side slots, forfacilitating tying the bales, which in my press are delivered from theinner end of baling-box or end nearest the power mechanism. The box alsohas the usual catch-springs b b in its sides.

C designates the plunger, of any sutiable construction, fitted in thebox, and retained therein by an end bar or metal strap D, which alsoforms a lateral brace for the box. The outer end of plunger is reducedin thickness so that it can project over strap D, and thus enable me toshorten the box, as the inner end of plunger must pass beyond the outeredge of the feed-opening, One end of pitman `E extends beneath thepressing-chamber of the box, is upturned, passes through a longitudinalslot a in the bottom of the box, and is firmly connected to the plunger,as indicated.

F is a helical spring, (one end of which is fast to the pitman, theother to the base,) which operates to draw the pitman and plungeroutward to the position shown in Fig. 2. Slot a serves both as a guidefor the pitman and to regulate and limit the forward and backwardmovements thereof.

The means for operating the pitman consist of a double-grooved cam-blockG, which is centrally journaled upon a vertical post or shaft H, thelower end of which is secured in the base and its upper end in across-piece h, mounted upon suitable supports at each side of the block.Preferably the block is made in two parts g g', the upper part g beingsupported upon a central boss g2 of the lower part, so that the opposedfaces of the parts are slightly separated sufficiently to freely receivethe end of pitman E. (See Fig. 2.) In each part g g is made a channel orcam-groove G', of the contour indicated in Fig. 3, being approximatelydiamond-shaped, the longest and shortest diameters of the groove beingrespectively parallel with the longest and shortest diameters of theblock. A diamond would more accurately illustrate the shape of thegroove if it were cut in half on its shortest diameter and one partthereof shifted a little to one side, so that the lines of the diamonddo not meet to form the obtuse angles. This leaves oppositely-faeiuglateral shouldersat the points Where would ordinarily be the obtuseangles of a diamond, and these shoulders are recessed to formcatch-notches G2 G3, as shown, which open in opposite directions to- IOO, in said parts when they are united exactly correspond.

The block G may be rotated by any suitable means. For this purpose asweep I may be made fast to a boss g4,projecting from the block throughthe cross-piece 71, or secured to the block in any proper manner, sothat a horse maybe hitched to the end of the sweep for the purpose ofrotating the block, the directlonbt` rotation being as indicated by thearrow 1n Fig. 3. In starting the press the block is turned until thelongest axis of the groove is parallel with the longest axis of thebaling-box or with the pitman. This brings one end, as G4, of the groovenearest the box and allows spring F to draw the pitman and plungeroutward to the utmost limit. At this time the baling-box may be filledwith the materlal to be compressed. As the block rotates rollers e onthe end of pitman are forced to travel along the incline of the groovebetween polnts G4 and G5, which causes the pitman to move graduallytoward the block. This contlnues until the rollers catch in recess G3,when they are arrested; but as the block continues to revolve the pitmanis forcibly drawn toward the block until recess G3 reaches the pointlrst occupied by recess G4, diametrically opposite the pointlwhererecessGawaswhen the ballng operation commenced. Just as the recess G3 passesback of the shaft H, the rollers e slip out of said recess and thespring F, aided by the reaction of the compressed material, quicklythrows the plunger and pitman back to rst position, causing rollers e totravel from recess Ga to point G5, where the operation is commencedanew. The incline between point G5 and recess G2 and said recess nowcause the operation of the pitman in the manner described.

It will be noted that by the peculiar construction of the groove theplunger rebounds rapidly, but is drawn inward at first very slowly andwith little power until the rollers catch in the recesses; then it ispositively actuated. It is released just after the most powerfulleverage of the cam-groove has been exerted thereon. There are noviolent shocks. The plunger has a long reciprocation, and it is pulledby the pitman, not pushed, thereby enabling the pitman to be muchlighter than in the ordinary push-pitman presses, and to do as much andheavier work than the old presses, whereinrthe pitmen are apt to bow andbreak under pressure. I am also enabled to set the baling-box close tothe power, which is a great advantage where the press is driven bygearing or shafting instead of by sweep, and at the same time to protectall the working parts, yet have them readily accessible for repairs. Thepitman, being pulled, is also relieved of much ofthe lateral ortorsional strain incident to the push-presses.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The baling-box having a longitudinal slot in its bottom at one endthereof, aplunger in said box, arranged over said slot, and aretaining-bar for limiting the movement of said plunger, in combinationwith arotating camblock having a cam-groove therein and a pulling pitmanhaving one end engaged with the groove of said block and the other lendextending under the pressing-chamber of the balingbox and connected tothe plunger through said slot, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the baling-box and plunger, of a rotating blockhaving a diamondshaped cam-groove G, rounded at the acute angles andformed with catch-recesses G2 G3 at the obtuse angles, and a pitman-rodconnecting said plunger and block, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a block having an approximately-diamond shapedcam groove rounded at its acute angles and provided with lateralrecesses at its obtuse angles and mechanism for rotating said block, ofthe balingbox and plunger, the pitman connected to said plunger at oneend, and the friction-rollers on the other end of said pitman engagingthe cam-groove of the block, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the baling-box having a slotted bottom, theplunger, the pitmanrod connected to said plunger through the slot in thebottom, and a spring for retracting said pitman and plunger, with therotating cam-block formed of an upper and lower part, each having anapproximately-diamondshaped cam-groove, rounded at the acute angles andrecessed at the obtuse angles, substantially as described, and thefriction-rollers secured to the end of the pitman-rod and respectivelyengaging the grooves of the parts, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY COPELAND.

Witnesses:

Conn E. CorELAND, J. D. EAGAR.

ICO

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